‘Goodfellas,’ ‘Law & Order’ actor Paul Sorvino dies at 83

‘Goodfellas,’ ‘Law & Order’ actor Paul Sorvino dies at 83

FILE - Paul Sorvino attends the "Big Eyes" premiere at the Museum of Modern Art on Dec. 15, 2014, in New York. Sorvino, an imposing actor who specialized in playing crooks and cops like Paulie Cicero in “Goodfellas” and the NYPD sergeant Phil Cerretta on “Law & Order,” has died. He was 83. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

(AP)- Paul Sorvino, an imposing actor who specialized in playing crooks and cops like Paulie Cicero in “Goodfellas” and the NYPD sergeant Phil Cerreta on “Law & Order,” has died. He was 83. In his over 50 years in the entertainment business, Sorvino was a mainstay in films and television, playing an Italian American communist in Warren Beatty’s “Reds,” Henry Kissinger in Oliver Stone’s “Nixon” and mob boss Eddie Valentine in “The Rocketeer.” He would often say that while he might be best known for playing gangsters, his real passions were poetry, painting and opera.

Photo: (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)